London, Jan. 25 (ANI): Former New Zealand all rounder Chris Cairns has sued IPL chief Lalit Modi for libel in the High Court in London, following allegations by the latter that Cairns had been involved in match fixing.

“I had no alternative but to sue Mr Modi for libel. Until he retracts what he has said, my name will always be tainted by the cheat label. Had he really had any concerns about my probity as a sportsman, he could have called me at any time or instructed any of his executives to do the same. He chose not to,” the Daily Times quoted Cairns, as saying.

“Instead, he chose to make his allegation in public and to repeat it in public. For any doubting Thomases out there: I have never rigged a match,”

Cairns was captain of the Chandigarh Lions in the ICL, and insists his 2008 sacking was due to fitness issues.

Before that year’s tournament, Cairns, whose sister Louise died in a train accident in 1993, had walked 1000 kilometres for his foundation to raise rail-safety awareness.

“I was knackered, my knees were shot. I played three games but couldn’t bowl,” the 39-year-old said.

Cairns lives in Dubai and accepts he will probably never play again.

“All this is about now is my being able to walk comfortably around grounds like Lord’s and Trent Bridge,” he said.

“Mr Modi has extinguished that at the moment. I doubt my case against such an important man will cause him to lose much sleep. But for me, it is the centre of my universe,” he added. (ANI)